The present invention relates generally to speech recognition systems as applied to data input and general computer use, and particularly to a system and method for user controlled insertion of standardized text in user selected fields while dictating text entries for completing a form.
Many database programs include user interface software and programming tools for defining data entry forms, and for linking fields in those data entry forms to fields in database tables. U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,708 teaches a system and method for converting an existing non-computerized (i.e., paper) data entry form into a computer based data entry form that uses speech recognition for verbal data entry. U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,708 is hereby incorporated by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,928 (""928 patent) teaches a system that uses speech recognition to populate forms. When the speech recognition procedures match a user""s spoken input with an entry in a currently selected voice syntax file, a speech recognition procedure returns a value that directly identifies a corresponding input value or user command, which may indicate selection of an object in the data form or may be a form navigation command. Other procedures use the detailed information about the end user""s spoken words so as to enter dictated sequences of words into data entry fields in the data entry form. U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,928 is hereby incorporated by reference.
In the prior art system of the ""928 patent, the populate form procedure was implemented to work with a particular speech recognition procedure. Many vendors supply speech recognition procedures but with different programming interfaces. Because the populate form procedure of the ""928 patent is implemented to work with a particular speech recognition procedure, it is difficult for it to use speech recognition procedures from different vendors. Therefore, a method and system that easily allows the populate form procedure to work with different speech recognition procedures is needed.
Although dictation increases the speed of populating forms, dictating each entry field takes a certain amount of time. For example, when completing medical forms to document the results of a physical examination, physicians typically enter xe2x80x9cnormalxe2x80x9d responses to most entries for patients. For each entry that is normal, the normal response is standardized. For example, for a data entry field called xe2x80x9chead,xe2x80x9d the normal response may be xe2x80x9cthe head is normocephalic and without evidence of trauma. No facial weakness is evident. The patient is alert and oriented.xe2x80x9d When completing the form, the physician must dictate the text for the xe2x80x9cnormal responsexe2x80x9d for each such data entry field. Because the forms have numerous fields, dictating the normal response for each field takes a long time. Therefore, a system and method for user controlled insertion of standardized text in user selected fields while dictating text entries for completing a form is needed.
A form has fields and predefined standard responses associated with at least a subset of the fields. Each predefined standard response is associated with a distinct field. A text stream is received, a particular command in the text stream is identified. In response to the particular command, at least one field is populated with the predefined standard response associated with the at least one field. In another aspect of the invention, the text stream is generated from audio input. In yet another aspect of the invention, a subset of fields are associated with each other in a hierarchy. The particular command causes all those fields in the hierarchy having predefined standard responses to be populated with their respective predefined standard responses. In this way, by using predefined standard responses, the amount of time to complete a form is reduced.
In an alternate aspect of the invention, the populate form procedure is decoupled from the speech engine to allow a user to choose a speech engine from many vendors. A form builder procedure generates form data representing a form with entry fields. When populating the form, the speech engine generates a text stream from an audio input. The populate form procedure receives and displays the text stream in a current entry field, identifies a particular command in the text stream, and removes the particular command from the text stream in the current entry field. In this way, any one of a number of speech engines may be used without modifying the speech engine or the populate form procedure.